Hurry Home
by GryphonGundam
Summary: The war is long over, but the damage remains. In an effort to repair the deeper, more personal wounds, the Preventers have launched a program to reunite families torn apart by war. But what if you're not sure you want to be found? 2xH Hildecentric.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Greetings all! So here it is, a new story featuring Duo and Hilde. This story will focus on Hilde's character, which will be fun since we know next to nothing about her. Anyway, this is a more personal fic, focusing on the human element as life goes on after the war. This fic was inspired by the song "Hurry Home" by Jason Michael Carol._

_I own neither the show, characters, or manga, nor do I own the song that inspired this endeavor._

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Ch. 1

L-2 Colony Cluster

Colony L-21544 (St. Thomas City)

AC 201

Duo Maxwell grumbled a few curse words under his breath as he attempted to juggle a bag of groceries, a six pack of beer, and a heavy file box in an effort to get his keys and unlock the front door. Gripping the handles of the grocery bag with his teeth, he managed to fit the key in the lock and turn the deadbolt. Now came the tricky part, turning the knob. Freeing his thumb and index finger from the handle of the six pack, Duo sidled up to the knob and grabbed it with the two free fingers, using all his strength to twist the knob. He felt the box begin to slip from his other arm, and quickly readjusted his stance so it was propped against the door. Resuming his previous twisting action, the door finally cracked open. Unfortunately, he had miscalculated and put too much weight on the box, causing the door to swing open faster than anticipated. Unexpectedly thrown off-balance, he reached for the box, overcorrected, tripped, yelped in surprise (causing him to drop the bag of groceries he'd had clenched in his teeth), and tumbled to the ground, turning just enough to keep from landing on the box.

Groaning, he sat up just in time to hear a feminine giggle from the hallway to his right. Spotting the source of the sound, he grinned sheepishly.

"Hey babe, I picked up the stuff from the store you wanted."

"I see that," Hilde Schbeiker smiled as she surveyed the mess in front of her. "I hope those tomatoes didn't get bruised."

"Hey!" Duo retorted with indignation, "what about me?"

"Only your pride was hurt in that fall," she replied as she bent down to help gather the items scattered on the ground. "You could have knocked, you know. Or made two trips."

"Where's the fun in that?" he joked, examining the one item he had managed to keep a hold of. "At least the beer came through okay."

"Then that's all that matters," Hilde smirked as they both stood. "Thanks for stopping by the store for me," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "the shop was swamped today."

"Oh?" Duo asked, hefting the file box, almost dropping it again before he could get a decent grip. "That's good. Sorry I couldn't be there to help."

"Don't worry about it," the petite woman said as he followed her into the kitchen. "The chicken and biscuits should be done soon, and now, thanks to you, I can make the salad."

Unceremoniously dropping the box on the table, Duo heard her stifle another giggle when she caught him wrinkling his nose in distaste

"Yuck, bunny food."

"It's good for you. You really should eat more vegetables, Duo."

"Deep-fry it and wrap it in bacon and we'll talk."

This time Hilde did laugh as she spread the 'bunny food' on the counter and retrieved a knife from the drawer. Adding to his point, Duo grabbed a beer bottle and twisted off the cap, taking a long swallow.

"Hand me one of those, would you please?" his partner asked.

Snagging another bottle he soundlessly crept up behind her and placed it against her neck. The sudden, and very cold, contact caused her to yelp in surprise. As she spun around, Duo met her wide eyes with his smug ones, silencing her reprimand with a quick, affectionate kiss on her lips.

"Missed you these past two days," he murmured against her mouth.

"Hmm. Missed you too," she sighed, then pushed him away. "You're still eating the salad."

"Damn," he muttered and plopped down in a nearby chair. "Can we get a dog?" he asked.

"Duo," she growled good-naturedly, "You are eating the salad."

"Well, it was worth a shot," the ex-pilot chuckled and took another swig from his beer.

As promised, dinner was on the table in short order and a few moments of silence passed as they began to eat.

"So what did Quatre want to see you about?" Hilde asked. "And why did you have to go meet him on L-3? I always enjoy his visits here."

Swallowing a large bite, Duo answered, "He couldn't make room in his schedule to make a side trip here, so I met him halfway. He says 'hi'." Hilde waited as he took a sip of his drink before continuing. "As for what he wanted to see me about, the answer lies in that box," he said, gesturing to the item sitting at the other end of the table.

"He wanted to see you about a box?" she asked, raising a raven eyebrow.

"Well," the braided man began, "you remember on his last visit when he mentioned a collaborative project between the earth and colonies regarding helping to locate relatives of soldiers who had lost contact with their families during the war?"

"Yeah. Relena mentioned something about it too, last time we talked. Sounds like a big undertaking."

"Yup. The Preventers are getting pretty heavily involved, and lots of volunteers are gonna be needed."

"Duo, what did you do?"

"Nothing! Well, not really…um…" he spluttered. A hard stare from the petite woman had him cracking. "Alright, here's the deal. I have access to the Preventers database, as well as some, um, other files that I…strategically acquired…during the war. They're dividing things up into sectors, and, well, L-2 is a little short on Preventers and resources so…"

"Quatre guilted you into helping, didn't he?" At his hesitant nod, she sighed.

"He wasn't the only one," Duo grumbled. "I talked to Lady Une as well and she reminded me of the little 'shuttle incident' from last year. She mentioned something about restitution through community service."

This time, Hilde let a bemused smile grace her lips. "So, you didn't exactly volunteer."

"Let's just say it was more along the lines of 'voluntold.'"

Shaking her head, the raven-haired woman gave him a genuine smile. "What am I going to do with you, Duo Maxwell?"

"I have a few ideas," he smirked, leering slightly.

"Bad boy," she chided and he let out a genuine laugh. "So," she began, her face sobering just enough for him to notice. "What exactly is this program?"

"As I understand, anyone either military or civilian can file a request for a person search. We do what we can to match names, descriptions, and stats, locate last known addresses, and go from there. Right now it's a lot of entering data from old records Oz, the Alliance, and other factions had stored up that the Preventers managed to save. Quatre says that eventually they'll be able to set up a facial recognition system, so you don't end up wading through a hundred John Smiths trying to find the right one."

"Sounds…complicated."

Duo caught the hesitation in her voice, but chose to ignore it for the moment. "You know, there were a lot of people who were displaced during the war, a lot of families couldn't be notified if a loved one had been killed. This'll help bring closure to a lot of families." When Hilde didn't respond, he went to the lighter side. "Personally, I'm hoping for reunions. You know what a sucker I am for happy endings."

"Yeah, you're a sap alright." Hilde gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Taking a gamble, he pressed on. "You know, babe, if there's someone you want to look for, I can put you on the top of the list."

"No, there's no one I need to look for, and no one's looking for me. I know that for sure."

"Hilde," Duo began, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Duo." He watched as she stood and cleared her half-eaten dinner. "It's been a long day and I'm going to hit the shower. Clean up down here for me, will you?"

"Sure, babe." For once, Duo didn't argue, but Hilde didn't seem to notice. With a concerned gaze, he watched her exit the kitchen to head upstairs. In the ensuing silence, Duo felt something hanging in the air, and it wasn't making him happy.

* * *

_A/N: So, that's the first chapter. If you like it, drop me a review. If you don't, then I respect your opinion and wish you the best. Flames will, as always, be disregarded._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello all. Meant to have this up last week, but a rather painful back injury put me out of comission for a few days. I did, however, have plenty of time to lie around and think of ideas. I'm hoping to post at least once a month, but don't hold me to that.

A special thanks to all those who have reviewed so far, you are my motivation.

Dear Lawyers, I own nothing. Go sue someone esle.

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Ch. 2

Colony L-21544 (St. Thomas City)

Hilde let out a quiet groan as a beam of artificial sunlight managed to pierce the sweet darkness that was sleep. In protest she rolled over, reaching out for the familiar warmth of the bed's other occupant. Her eyes snapped open in confusion when her hand found empty space. Raising her head, she looked around the room and listened, wondering if Duo had simply gone to the restroom for a moment. It was Sunday morning, their one day off and, therefore, their one day to sleep in. While it wasn't unusual for Duo to be up before her (he was, surprisingly, a morning person), Sundays were the one day he refused to get out of bed before ten unless absolutely necessary. Double checking the clock on the nightstand, she confirmed that it was just before nine. Concern brought her fully awake when her lover didn't seem to be anywhere in the vicinity of the room.

Rolling out of bed and pulling on her robe, she padded out into the hall, wondering if she had slept through a call concerning the scrap yard, or worse, one of their friends.

_Don't be silly, Hilde, _she chided herself, _you're not so deep a sleeper that you'd miss the phone ringing. _

What Hilde didn't want to admit was that for the past month she had been putting so much work into the yard and exhausting herself that sleeping through a ringing phone was perfectly possible. She wanted to believe that it was because the yard was doing so much business that the extra work was necessary, but even she knew that was stretching the truth. They had a few employees now who were more than capable of handling the workload, but Hilde had been reluctant to delegate. She was distracting herself, and she knew it. The reason for this distraction was currently spread out on the kitchen table in front of Duo.

"Morning, babe," he said with a smile, only looking up from the file he was currently studying to offer a small smile and nod towards the counter. "I haven't been up that long, so coffee's fresh."

"Thanks," Hilde replied, pointedly ignoring the numerous files and papers scattered on the table as she made her way across the room. Grabbing the mug that Duo had left out for her, she poured her coffee and added sugar, savoring the scent before looking over her shoulder. "You're up awful early for a Sunday," she stated, noting that Duo had gone back to studying his file.

"Yeah," he said without looking up. "I've got a few more possible matches. Quatre also said that the facial recognition system will be up and running by Wednesday, and I want to get things ready."

Despite herself, Hilde grinned at her boyfriend's enthusiasm. While most people thought of Duo as flighty, those closest to him knew that he was intensely dedicated and focused on matters that interested him. This "family reunification" project had captured his full attention, and any time he wasn't working in the yard (or any time that was deemed as "theirs") he had been pouring through files and databases, doing what he could to piece together shattered families. She guessed that half the reason was because he was indeed a sucker for happy endings. She knew that the other half was for a darker, more personal reason. For Duo, this was a sort of penance. Being a Gundam pilot meant that he had been responsible for countless deaths and separations during the wars. With each family he reunited or brought closure to, a part of his soul was healed. Though the total so far was only a handful, his smile was growing more genuine, his sleep just a tad more peaceful. If only she could feel the same.

"Hilde?"

Snapped from her thoughts, Hilde looked over her shoulder to see a slight frown on Duo's face.

"Sorry," she hedged, "I'm not quite awake yet. Did you say something?"

Closing the file folder in his hand and placing it on the table, Duo turned in his chair to face her, his eyes searching hers for something she wasn't ready to face.

"You looked pretty lost in thought. You've been doing that a lot lately. Everything ok?"

Irritation flared in her. While he hadn't been straightforward in his inquiries regarding her feelings towards the project, Duo had brought up the matter (or at least tried to) at least once a day for the past month. She was about to snap at him when she caught the genuine concern in his violet eyes, and her anger died as quickly as it had come, morphing instead into tender affection for the young man in front of her.

"Just thinking, Duo, that's all." Noting his frown deepen, she redirected his attention. "So, who's up next in your project?" she asked, indicating the file he had just put down.

It was a poor diversion, and she could see that Duo wasn't fooled by it, but he turned and picked up the folder as she came to stand beside him, flipping it open to reveal two photos of a young man attached to military document providing the subject's biography. Hilde watched as he spread out a few other notes contained in the folder, some of which she noticed contained Duo's handwriting.

"Hilde, meet Jackson Billings," Duo announced, his tone taking on a lighter note. "He served in the Oz's 36th Engineering Battalion. His mother and brother filed the request, said that they had some kind of fight right before he was deployed to Space Combat Operations and haven't spoken since. He's not in the KIA or MIA files, so now it's just a matter of tracking him down. I got a positive hit on employment records in the L-2 cluster, so now all I need is a recent address." Duo was smiling broadly again, his enthusiasm picking up as he talked. "It's nice to find the live ones. The last few have been confirmation of death notices. Those aren't nearly as satisfying. If I'm lucky, I can reunite him and a few others with their families by Christmas…"

Hilde was only half listening, her focus was on the picture, and her thoughts once again in a far off place. Had she noticed Duo trail off in his rambling, she may have been able to keep him focused on his topic, but instead she was once again pulled from her thoughts by Duo calling her name.

"Babe, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking." At his intense stare she continued, once again attempting to divert her lover's attention. "I hope you find them. A Christmas reunion would be wonderful."

This time, Duo wasn't so easily put off. "Hilde," he started, his tone hardening, "I've told you, if there's something about all this you want to talk about, someone you want to find…"

"Duo," she cut him off, "We've been over this, so please, drop it."

Hilde watched his jaw clench, an indication that he was fighting hard not to push the subject. Finally, he relented, easing back into his chair. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he spoke, his tone lighter and more like the Duo she knew and loved.

"It's still kind of early. If we leave in the next half hour, we can beat the church crowds and have a nice breakfast at Mel's Diner. What do you say?" he asked.

Smiling, she bent and kissed his forehead, brushing his unruly bangs away from his eyes. "Sounds great, but I need a shower first."

Feeling a little better now that the subject of searches had been dropped, the petite woman strolled towards the hallway leading to their room. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned and, with a sly grin asked, "You coming, or what?"

Duo practically flew from his chair, files long forgotten. They were late for breakfast, but neither found that they minded the wait.

_

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_

Colony L-21530 (New Ramstein)

Dirk Rheinhalt grunted in mild irritation as his knee began to complain about his current crouching position. Shifting his weight to his other side gave him minor relief as he once again focused on the portable generator he was currently attempting to fix. His relief was short lived as his other knee began to ache and he knew that the battle with his joints, and therefore the generator, was lost. Setting his ratchet in the toolbox by his foot, he took a moment to gather his strength before pushing himself into a standing position.

"It's a damned colony, everyone knows it, so why emulate Earth's fall so damn well?" he grumbled, rubbing at his sore right knee.

"Did you say something, Dirk?"

The older man glanced over his shoulder and saw a dark haired youth walking towards him with a box in his hands.

"Nothing important, Axel, just grumbling about the weather. These temperature fluxes are hell on an old man's joints."

The younger man grinned and shook his head. "You're not that old, Uncle."

"Old enough," Dirk grunted good naturedly. "Those the parts I sent you for over an hour ago?"

Axel had enough grace to look guilty as he handed over the parcel. "Sorry it took so long, but…well…"

"Johanna was working today, I take it?" Dirk grinned, and then laughed out loud at the young man's blush. "No worries. Put these in the parts shed and let's call it a day. I'd hate to be late for supper two days in a row."

With a nod, Axel hurried off to put the box away and lock up the shed for the night. Dirk watched his nephew's quick movements and envied his youth for a brief moment. Another twinge in his knee reminded him that the evening was only going to get colder. With a sigh, he reached for the cane leaning against the generator. He would have to start moving things inside the workshop for the upcoming simulated winter, a task that was as time consuming as it was inconvenient. He was drawn from his musing when Axel stepped up to him and nodded that he was ready to leave.

The walk from the small scrap yard and mechanical repair shop that was Dirk's livelihood to the home he shared with his sister and nephew was only a few blocks, and usually pleasant, but today he was unusually stiff, his damaged knee throbbing at each step, causing him to rely on the support of his cane more than usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Axel's slight frown, indicating that his nephew had noticed his discomfort. Choosing to ignore the concern, he limped along, finally reaching the modest white house he called home.

Stepping through the door, he was greeted by a rush of warmth, the smell of fresh bread, and a brown and white mutt named Krieger. Patting the dog's head affectionately, he winced as Axel shouted, "Mama! We're home!"

Dirk rapped the back of his nephew's head with his hand in disapproval. "Manners, boy. Eighteen and you still have none. A miracle your mother hasn't tossed you out on your ear."

The dark haired youth took the older man's reprimand in stride and headed towards the kitchen in search of food. "No hope for that one, Krieger," Dirk sighed, petting the dog once more before heading towards the smell of food.

Upon entering the room he stopped and observed his sister, Elena, the only family he had left, puttering around the kitchen and muttering to herself. Axel had apparently been tasked with setting the small table. Stiffly making his way over to his chair, Dirk sank into it with a grateful sigh. Not yet fifty, he was feeling much older than his years these days, and far from the man he had been a mere seven years ago, before he had been crippled and lost almost everything dear to him.

"Long day?"

Dirk looked up as a plate of food appeared before him and he grinned at his sister as she sat across from him. Rubbing at his short beard, he cast a sidelong look at his nephew before answering. "It would have been shorter if your son wasn't so…_distracted_…today. Something must have caught his fancy at the hardware store."

"Uncle!" Axel protested around a mouthful of food.

Elena chuckled at her son's reddening face, before giving him a mock glare. "Don't talk with your mouth full," she gently scolded.

"Eat your salad," Dirk added, laughing at the youth's grimace. "And no sneaking it to the dog, either. Krieger doesn't like tomatoes."

Chatter continued at the table for the duration of the meal, and soon enough it was time to clean up. Rising slowly to his feet, Dirk did the best he could to hide a grimace of pain before hobbling to the sink with his plate. As he turned, he was met with a pair of blue eyes, just a shade darker than his own, that were both accusing and sympathetic.

"Your leg is killing you," Elena stated flatly. "Go sit in the living room. Axel and I can finish cleaning up."  
A wave of irritation hit him as his _little_ sister all but ordered him to leave. "Don't coddle me, Elena. I'm not an invalid," he growled.

Elena sighed. "I know you're not, big brother, but I can tell you're hurting. If it makes you feel better, you can take care of breakfast in the morning."

"Deal," he grunted with a smirk. "Any chance I can get some coffee?"

"Spoiled brat," she muttered, flicking him with her dish towel. "Go sit, I'll see what I can do."

Dirk headed towards the small living room and the comfort of his recliner. As he settled into his favorite chair, he caught a glimpse of the newspaper on the side table. _Earth and Colonies Unite, _the main headline boasted._ Combined Effort in Massive Community Outreach Program Leads to Closure, Reunions_, the sub-headline continued. Dirk recalled hearing something about a joint project between Earth and the colonies a few weeks back from a client. Intrigued, he began reading the article, stopping just short of the end, a heavy weight having settled in the center of his chest.

"Quite an ambitious project, don't you think?" Elena commented softly, nodding to the paper as she handed him a steaming mug.

The elder sibling simply grunted in both acknowledgment and thanks, allowing silence to settle in the room. Dirk hoped that the silence would endure, but knowing his sister, he knew that the conversation was far from over. Sure enough, barely a minute passed before Elena spoke.

"I was thinking of volunteering for the project part-time, but it looks like for the moment, the only place in the L-2 cluster that will be operating will be on L-21544. I guess it wouldn't hurt to gather information and requests to send over there, though. Maybe…"

"Elena," Dirk cut her off in a low voice, "Whatever it is you're thinking, forget it."

"Dirk, I just thought-"

"Forget it, Elena," he growled, struggling to his feet.

Standing up and striding towards her brother, she stopped just in front of him, looking up into his bright blue eyes where she saw a mix of pain, anger, and fatigue. Elena's resolve faltered for a moment, but she was as stubborn as her brother, so she pressed on.

"Don't you want to know, Dirk? Don't you want to at least try and find out if she's okay? Don't you care?"

"Of course I do!" he roared, causing Elena to blink and step back in surprise. Dirk rarely yelled in anger, and his burst of emotion caught her off guard. Her breath caught as she met his eyes once more and saw the anguish there as he spoke in a calmer tone. "But what about her? What if she doesn't want to be found? What if she doesn't care? It's been almost seven years, Elena, five since the last war ended. If she wanted to be found, if she wanted to talk, to come home, don't you think she would have at least _tried_ by now?"

"And what if she didn't know she _could _come home?" Elena growled, her voice wavering slightly.

A tense moment passed between brother and sister before Dirk looked away, cursing softly. A moment later he turned to head to his room with a muttered 'goodnight.'

Turning back towards the kitchen, Elena couldn't help but think, _If only you knew how sorry he is, Hilde, how much he still loves you. If only you knew._

_

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_

Just a special note: The 36th Engineering Batallion was my dad's unit in the U.S. Army in Vietnam (1968-1970).


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey all, long time no see. My most heartfelt appologies for the long delay. Long story short, my back injury was worse than initially thought, and I've spent the past several months running (or rather, limping) from my full-time job, to physical therapy three times a week, to various doctor's appointments (FYI, epidurals hurt...a lot) and trying to fit school in there somewhere, so any free time I have is spent being exhausted. The good news is I'm almost all healed up, so maybe I'll have a few non-exhausted minutes to keep plugging away at this little project.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC's. Anything else I have isn't worth taking.

_Italics = flashbacks._

* * *

Ch. 3

_Colony L-21530, New Ramstein AC 194_

_Walking as silently as possible, fourteen year-old Hilde tiptoed to the back door of her home, praying that the temperamental hinges of the screen door wouldn't squeak as she tried to sneak in. It was well past midnight, and she was breaking curfew yet again. The fact that she was already grounded and had snuck out just after she had been sent to bed after supper only added to her apprehension. She hadn't expected the gathering to last as long as it had, but she had been caught up in conversation with a recently recruited soldier and lost track of time. She only hoped that her father had had a particularly busy day and was sound asleep._

_Sighing with relief as the door didn't utter a single squeak, she eased it closed and took a moment to gather herself. Turning, she silently made her way through the laundry room and down the hall towards the living room and the stairs that led up to her room. She was just past the entry to the kitchen when a voice stopped her in her tracks._

_"And just where the Hell have you been, Hildegard?"_

_Turning on her heel to look into the kitchen, she took in the sight of her father sitting at the table, the dim light of the streetlight outside casting shadows over his bearded face and making his expression impossible to decipher. His voice, however, told her that she was in deep trouble. Again._

_"Well?" he growled. "Are you going to answer me?"_

_"I was out," she answered, feeling rebellious. As an added effect, she straightened her posture and looked squarely at the man across the room from her._

_"Out," he said, his voice sharp. "Out where? With who?" he demanded._

_"I was with friends," was her answer, her voice wavering only slightly as she began to feel the weight of his stare._

_"Friends?" her father mocked as he stood, and it was then that she caught the glint of light off a half empty glass. It was then that she realized her mistake. While it didn't happen often, whenever her father drank, it shortened his temper considerably, and he only drank when he was already particularly upset. While she was familiar with her father's moods and had learned to work with and around his more grumpy side, she had only seen him truly angry a handful of times. The last she remembered seeing of it was with her Aunt Elena's poor excuse of a husband two years prior, and the end result had been quick, violent, and had resulted in the man limping away and never again gracing their home with his presence. While she had made a mental note to avoid her father's anger from that day on, it seemed she was dangerously close to crossing that line for the first time tonight. _

_As her father came to stand just a foot away from her, Hilde realized how small she was compared to him, and seeing the anger in his blue eyes caused her rebellious resolve to begin to crumble._

_"Friends," he spat again, his voice hardening. "Were these 'friends' those soulless Oz soldiers who have been hanging around the colony? Filling your head with foolish ideas of pride and honor in the name of death and destruction?"_

_Her head snapped up and her body tensed at his condescending tone. "They aren't soulless," she began, feeling an irrational need to defend the few soldiers she had come to know. "And their ideas aren't foolish! They're fighting for the good of the colonies and their people!"_

_"What kind of lies have they been telling you?" he demanded._

_"They aren't lies! Earth wants to oppress us! They fight for our freedom!"Gathering her courage, Hilde continued. "And I want to fight with them." _

_"Idiot girl, you have no idea what you're talking about. You will do no such thing."_

_"I'm not an idiot, I'm joining the military," Hilde affirmed, staring up at the face of the man now towering over her._

_"The Hell you are," he growled, voice dangerously low. "You will stop this foolish nonsense right now. They are filling your young head with lies and deceit."_

_Irrationally determined she announced, "I'm going. Only a coward would-"_

_Hilde never finished her statement as the sharp sound of flesh on flesh rang through the small kitchen. It took a moment for her to notice the white-hot sting on her cheek, and she faintly registered the taste of blood in her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes, both from the pain and from the slow, shocking realization that her father had just struck her._

_"Oh, God," she heard from somewhere off to her side._

_Turning her head slowly back towards her father, she saw the horror and guilt on his face as he looked from her face to his hand, then back to her face. His angry posture was gone and he seemed to be shaking, his breathing short and ragged. Finally catching his gaze, she watched him swallow as he seemed to search for words._

_"Hilde, my God, Hilde I…"_

_She didn't hear what else he had to say, as she turned and ran up the stairs to the sanctuary of her room. Breathing hard and with tears streaming down her stinging face, Hilde locked her door and collapsed on her bed in a sobbing heap, her image of her father forever shattered in her mind._

* * *

The slamming of the screen door abruptly brought Hilde back to the present, and she looked up to see Duo and Rory, one of their employees, walk into the small office they had in the scrap yard, deeply in debate about something.

"I'm tellin' ye, Duo," Rory said, his slight Irish lilt highlighting his agitation. "We don't have tha' part, an' there ain't nowhere on this colony that does."

"A beer says you're wrong," Duo challenged.

"To th' whole thing, or just part?" the elder man asked, a twinkle in his dark eyes.

"Alright, here's the deal. A beer if we don't have it in stock, and a beer and a shot of whatever whiskey you desire if there's nowhere else on this colony or the nearest two that doesn't have it."

"Fair deal," Rory stated, holding out his hand.

Duo shook it with a confident grin and sauntered up to Hilde's desk. Quirking an eyebrow, she gave her boyfriend a dubious look as he sat on the edge of her work area.

"And what, exactly, are you two betting on?" she asked.

"Hilde, my love," the braided man said with a smirk, to which she rolled her eyes. "If you would please look up this part number," he paused to hand her a scrap of paper, "so that I may prove to our good friend here how wrong he is and collect my winnings, I…"

"We don't have that part," Hilde interrupted as she looked up from the inventory screen, hiding a smirk as Duo nearly choked on his words.

"What?" he nearly squeaked. "Well, we still have other shops on this colony and on L-21542 and L-21543 to search so…"

"So," Hilde cut him off again. "I'm sure they won't have it either. This is an uncommon size for an uncommon part. It may take a while to track it down."

At Duo's crestfallen expression, Hilde patted his knee. "But, I could swear we had it," he mumbled.

"I'm sure someone does, but _we_ do not."

She heard Rory snicker from his side of the small room. "Guess I'll head back ta work. Five o'clock ain't so far away, and I can taste tha' drink now."

At Duo's glare, Rory chuckled once again and exited the office to head back to work. Hilde let a smile grace her delicate features as she went back to work. A moment later, she felt a finger under her chin. Looking up, she met Duo's twinkling eyes as he gave her a soft smile.

"What?" she asked, reaching up to grasp his hand.

"Nothing," he replied softly, "Just thinking how nice it is to see you smile. Hasn't been a lot of genuine ones lately. I've been a little worried."

"Duo," she began, her smile fading as exasperation took over. "I'm fine. It's just been busier than usual lately, and it's been tough keeping up, especially," she said, a mischievous grin replacing the earlier smile, "since _one_ of us hasn't been doing his share of the paperwork."

"Guilty," he said, suitably chagrined, hanging his head and slumping his shoulders forward in a dramatic display of remorse.

"Drama queen," Hilde giggled and pushed him off her desk. "Now go out and play while I look for your part."

Instead of the witty remark and him bounding outside, he grasped her upper arms and urged her to stand. Mildly confused, the petite woman looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend.

"I can look for it. You've barely been out in the yard this past week, and it's only fair you go play while I make up for skipping paperwork."

Choosing not to question Duo's sudden charity, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed her jacket, and headed out the door.

Two hours later, greasy, dirty, and thoroughly satisfied at accomplishing some physical labor, Hilde entered the office to find Duo hunched over the computer, quietly cursing. Not bothering to stifle a grin, she walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Any luck?"

Duo let out a quiet groan as her hands began to massage his shoulders. "All I've gotten is the run-around. Everyone seems to know a guy who knows a guy." He grunted as Hilde dug a thumb into a particularly tense muscle. "I did manage to find it though, but the kid on the phone couldn't give me a guaranteed condition, and the price of shipping was almost more than the part."

"Sounds like a shrewd business man," Hilde chuckled. "We could charge our client half of shipping in the final bill to off-set. Although if we have to refurbish the part once we get it, we'll probably end up with a loss once labor gets factored in. Any chance of talking the other shop down since then part isn't guaranteed? If we can get it at half and then charge the client for shipping, we might come out on top, though barely."

Duo glanced at his girlfriend and grinned. "And you call the other guy shrewd." Hilde gave him a light slap on the arm. "Actually, I have to make a trip to that colony in a few days for the Family Reunification project, so I told the guy I'd swing by and take a look. If I do that, I can negotiate price and avoid shipping."

"See, there is a functioning brain under this braid," she quipped, kissing the top of his head. "And to think, everyone told me you were only good for grunt work."

"I'll have you know that behind this handsome physique I possess many hidden talents." His grin quickly morphed into a leer as he drew her into his lap. "Wanna discover a few more?"

"Bad," she giggled, though she did little to try and pull away as Duo leaned in for a kiss. "Besides," she breathed once they parted for air. "I believe you lost a bet. Rory is waiting for you outside."

With a dramatic groan, Duo resigned himself to the inevitable as Hilde stood and helped pull him to his feet. With another quick kiss, the petite woman walked towards the door, handing Duo his coat.

"Don't be out too late, and try to behave."

"Yes, dear."

Hilde playfully smacked her boyfriend before pushing him out the door. As they walked towards a grinning Rory, she finally asked, "So where exactly did you find the part? If they carry hard to find stuff we may want to keep them on record for any future special orders."

Shaking his head slightly at his ever industrious partner, the young man answered, "Some shop on L-21530, in New Ramstein. Little place called DR Salvage Co."

"Oh," was her only reply, and she hoped that Duo didn't notice the slight stutter in her step. "Well, it should be an interesting trip."

* * *

**A/N: **So...not the most exiting chapter, but it gets the ball rolling. Thoughts and opinions are appretiated, flames will be extinguished, and trolls will be relocated under the bridge from whence they came.


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